Gambler files suit against Caesars

He alleges he was allowed to bet while drunk.

He alleges he was allowed to bet while drunk.

June 05, 2006

BRIDGEPORT, Ind. (AP) -- A Kentucky man is suing Caesars Indiana, alleging that he was drunk when casino employees offered him $75,000 in credit that he quickly gambled away in a drunken blur of blackjack and craps. Caesars officials sued Jimmy L. Vance, 64, in October for failing to repay the $75,000. Vance's countersuit, filed last month, claims he was drunk the night he accepted the credit and then lost it gambling at the casino about 15 miles southwest of Louisville, Ky. "They kept serving me till I was totally intoxicated. In fact, I don't remember losing all the money," said Vance, a developer from Corbin, Ky. He maintains he was visibly drunk the night of Sept. 22, 2004, and was "induced" by Caesars employees to take several credit advances while gambling that night. His suit claims the casino is responsible for his losses and violated state law by serving him alcohol while he was drunk, impairing his ability to enter into a contractual agreement. Vance's lawyer, Larry Wilder, cited "dram-shop" laws that make taverns liable for damages if they serve an intoxicated customer who leaves the premises and harms himself or others. "Does Indiana, where gambling is now encouraged and permitted, have any duty to expect its gambling boats not to serve (patrons) when they become blind, running drunk?" he asked. Vance, who says he's lost at least $500,000 over the years at Caesars, said people might think he's getting what he deserves by gambling while knocking back cocktails for hours on end. But when he has had too much to drink on occasional trips to Atlantic City, he said casino bosses refused to let him continue gambling. For its part, Caesars is seeking triple damages -- $225,000 -- plus 18 percent interest, court costs and legal fees from Vance for the unpaid $75,000. Its lawyers have asked a judge to dismiss Vance's suit. "Vance is certainly not the first unsuccessful gambler to want his money back," Caesars' lawyer Gregory Taylor wrote. Some drunken gamblers win and sober gamblers lose big, Taylor noted, so it's impossible to pinpoint Vance's intoxication as the cause of his losses. Caesars said Vance had agreed to repay the $75,000 balance within 28 days, but his checks to cover the debt were returned for insufficient funds, according to court records. Since early last year, Caesars has filed nearly identical suits seeking unpaid credit from 14 other men and three women from Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and South Carolina. Under Indiana regulations, casinos can extend credit and check-cashing privileges to selected patrons. Casinos also train employees in handling compulsive gamblers and other impaired patrons. Ernest Yelton, executive director of the Indiana Gaming Commission, said he could not recall receiving any formal complaints involving drunken gamblers and credit matters. But Yelton said, "We might need to address a void," depending on the outcome of Vance's case.